Sermon Tone Analysis

“This is it guys!”

“This is it guys!”

Nate shouted excitedly as the Piper bounced on the beach.

“They’re on their way.”

With Lunch over, the men busied themselves with building a miniature “jungle” and model house in the sand.

their intention was to demonstrate to the “savages” how to build an airstrip, should they be interested in the “white men” coming and living among them.

Their hopes were high… and soon… the five missionaries sang together, as they often did — spontaneously and joyfully!

Committing themselves and their carefully crafted plans to Him who had so unmistakably brought them this far…

They waited for the Aucas.

Before 4:30 that same afternoon, the river would flow over the bodies of these five friends — slain by the very people they had come to save....

But… their story doesn’t end there!

No… Their wives and children knew why they had gone… They knew why they were there… they were as committed to the mission God had given them as their husbands had been…

And so… they went to the Auca… they laid the remainder of their lives on the altar… trusting God to provide for them… and the Auca people…

You see… When the families of these five missionaries looked at the Auca people… they did not see angry, murdering savages… They saw what their husbands… their fathers… saw…

Lost souls who needed the Love of Christ — They saw neighbors!

What do we see?

When we look at the people around us… when we look at the world we live in… what do we see?

If we are going to be Bridge Builders for the Kingdom, then we must “SEE” the “Harvest” — We must “SEE” people… and we must PARTICIPATE in reaching out to them in compassion and mercy.

“I think I may say to every person whom I am addressing, If you are yourself saved, the work is but half done until you are employed to bring others to Christ.

You are as yet but half-formed in the image of your Lord.” — Charles Spurgeon

Who has seen the movie “Avatar”?

In the movie, the “alien” species… the inhabitants of the planet have a phrase they say to each other: “I SEE You.”

“I SEE You!” Does not mean “I see you standing there… I see you living there… I see what you are doing… I see where you work....

It means…

— I SEE you completely!

— I SEE the real you...

— I SEE your hurt…

— I SEE your love…

— I SEE your Joys…

— I SEE your pain…

— I SEE your grief…

— I SEE your worries…

— I SEE your fears…

— I SEE who you are!

— And … I understand, and Care!!!

That is how God SEES you!!!

— When God looks at you… He does not see an angry, hate-filled, murdering “savage”… He sees His Creation… He sees something He loves deeply… and His compassion for you wells up from the very depths of Heaven!!!

“I SEE You” means having compassion, mercy, and love by “seeing” others through God’s eyes — as God sees them!

When Jesus told the disciples to “Pray to the Lord of the Harvest” (Lk 10:2-3), He was not telling them to pray for more Pastors, Missionaries, and Evangelists — He was telling them to pray for “eyes to see” the harvest!!!!

Christ’s desire is that WE would “SEE” the Harvest — to truly SEE people — and to REACH OUT in Compassion and Love to our neighbors.

Compassion and Mercy must become as much our lifestyle as it was Christ’s.

The Christian Life… Holiness… is not about discussing “philosophies” or “ideals”… it is about DOING!!!

Let’s go to scripture:

This lawyer wanted to “catch Jesus” — to prove Him wrong!

So he asks Him:

I love Jesus’s answer!

“You’re the expert!!!

You tell me!”

So, the Lawyer responds:

Notice Jesus’s response to him:

“Do this” is not a philosophical answer… it is a call to action!

It is a reminder that the “Christian life” is not about discussions, but about a lifestyle of forgiveness, mercy and compassion…

It is an answer that reminds the Lawyer of something he already knows… and that stomps all over his toes!

He knows — he confessed — that they were commanded to “Love their neighbors”… AND he knows that they fail to do that!

So, he tries to justify himself:

That is what sparks Jesus to tell this story.

— That’s right I called it a story, because it is not necessarily a parable.

You see, it makes more sense for it to be the retelling of a story that was commonly known, because that eliminates the ability of the Pharisees and scribe to say “That’s not real, you made that up!”

Not that that matters a lot to the lesson.

But we also have to be careful with “seeing” it as a parable, because we tend to turn parables into allegory — We feel the need to make everything stand for something, and so:

— the victim becomes the sinner

— the priest and levite become the sacrificial system (which could do nothing for the sinner)

— the Samaritan becomes Jesus (who saves, pays the bill, and promises to return)

— the Inn becomes the Church (where believers are cared for)

— the “two pence” becomes the sacraments

Do you see the issue with that?

When we do this, we can make scripture say whatever we want it to!

— It is easier to make a religious system than to improve the neighborhood.

Jesus is not talking about a point in a “checklist” of “good religion” that we do every now and then… He is talking about a characteristic that must mark our lives as a RESULT of God’s Grace and Mercy on us!!!

Jesus is talking about “DOING”, not “DISCUSSING”!

Look what He tells the Lawyer:

The Lawyer asked “What must I do?”

And Jesus told him, “Love your neighbor.”

Then He reminds him of a story that illustrates the issue clearly…

The Priest and the Levite have no “excuse”… they simply didn’t “see” the man…

— All they “SAW” was someone to be avoided!

But… The Samaritan — and outcast and enemy of the Jewish community — “Saw” the man…

— He identified his needs…

— He had compassion on him…

— He took care of him…

You see… the Lawyer KNEW that God REQUIRES His people to show COMPASSION and MERCY on STRANGERS and ENEMIES.

He had no excuse!

And neither do we!!!

Jesus turned the table on the Lawyer… and He turns the table on us!

(Whew!

I love it!)

The question is not: “Who is my neighbor?”

— which identifies neighbors by geography, citizenship, philosophy, race…

But: “To whom can I be a neighbor?”

— Wherever people need us, there we can be a neighbor!

It is easy for us to “discuss” problems, abstract ideals, needs of people… and yet, still fail to solve those problems.

— We discuss poverty… addictions… job needs… , and yet, never personally feed a hungry family, or help someone find a job!

In this parable, Jesus gives us Three philosophies we tend to us in dealing with people…

- (today) "condemn him," "avoid him," "love him."

Condemn him — "Beat him up" - Christians would deny, but, "How do we react to issues?"

"Avoid him" — "Family and church first, he's just after money..." You're doing your part by giving to the church....It's not your place to share...

"Love him" — does not mean give hand outs, it means take care of his needs.

(church of acts, Peter and John at the gate)

We are called to be - "A royal preisthood," "God's hands and feet on this earth,"

Jesus promised that we "will do greater things than He..."